Localism Bill

Stephen Gilbert Excerpts

Tuesday 17th May 2011 Commons Chamber

The second point is that new clause 4 does not address—as it would need to if it were accepted—the crucial point of what happens in the meantime if planning permission is granted by a local council. Is that permission to be held in abeyance, awaiting a possible appeal, or can planning permission be implemented in the meantime? If a development goes ahead and there is a successful appeal, would that development need to be demolished? If work is started on a development that needs to be interrupted, is anyone liable for compensation if the permission is overturned on appeal? There are therefore a few technical deficiencies with new clause 4 that would need to be considered.

[Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay) (LD)]

I am grateful to the Minister for explaining the technical deficiencies in new clause 4 to me, and particularly for doing so at 9 o’clock this evening. However, aside from the technical deficiencies, what is the Government’s view of the principle? I can work on the robustness of the new clause if the Government can give me their view in principle.

[Greg Clark]

I will explain, although I will shortly draw my remarks to a conclusion, as I know that other Members want to speak. As my hon. Friend and all other members of the Committee know, my view is that we should move away from a system of planning by development control, where recourse is made to the Planning Inspectorate rather than local decision makers, which is how the future of our communities has been developed. I want fewer appeals to the Planning Inspectorate and more decided locally. Doing that means plan-making becoming a much more prominent part of the process. Neighbourhood plans and pre-application scrutiny—and, incidentally, neighbourhood plans becoming part of the development plan, even if the local authority disapproves —along with the abolition of regional imposition and the prevention of the inspector from simply rewriting plans are all geared towards making the plan prominent and, indeed, sovereign. When we are dealing with the legitimate concerns of communities that feel that developments that they do not want have been imposed on them, my concern is to strengthen their ability to control the process by participating in plan-making.